h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Az, I went over to wordpress and started a blog. So far I have about 20 words and I am totally confused about how to do a darn thing. I mean, how did you get pictures on there? How did you get that cool header? I checked out Dragonqueen and she had a cool header too. I don't know if I have time to do this thing anyway, but at least if you want you can now go to my blog and make your own comment. http://healingmagichands.wordpress.com

Yeah, yeah, sure double crunches (cringe) I still intend to walk tonight once the sun goes down and it cools off. I had my little dog Ruby spayed last week. Now she is feeling a lot better and running around every time she hears my keys, bouncing and saying "We're gonna go, right? Yep, yep, yep, Oh boy oh boy" or words to that effect. So we're gonna go walk for sure tonight.

I sent you a comment with a couple of links in it and it looks like it's 'awaiting moderation' so you'll have to go to Dashboard/Manage to clear it. The links take you to info about how to create your own custom header.

If you go to Dashboard/Options/Discussion you can change your setting to allow up to 'x-amount links' - I have mine set to allow 2, saves having things pulled for moderation.

Do you know that Christian lady who showed up on your blog? I got the feeling she maybe trawls the new blogs to welcome people 'into the fold'.

Did 100 crunches this morning - doing 200 suddenly seemed the weensiest bit unrealistic.

az

thanks, Az! I suddenly woke up this morning wondering if I should even create a blog at all. But I guess I'll try it out for a while anyway.

I did get two miles in yesterday eve. Ruby was ecstatic to finally be going for a walk. She seems to have recovered from her surgery very nicely. I did 60 of each kind of crunch last night. I just could not make myself do twice as many.

I've been killing harlequin bugs in my garden this week. I really despise them, and Iguess they don't taste good because none of my bug eating birds eats them. It has been a three year project to try to get rid of this infestation, and I got lazy this year so they have come back like gangbusters. Oy.

I don't know what harlequin bugs are but they sound rather nasty. Good luck with getting rid of them.

Didn't have time for The Bike this morning before my class, but after Friday I'll no longer have a 9am class, which will make it easier to get my exercising in while it's still cool(ish) in the mornings. Nog and I just got back from a two-hour walk - well, more of a stroll really - doing errands and a bit of shopping. Still, better than nuthin.

Had a few interesting comments on my 'Stop me if ...' blog post yesterday. Check them out if you like.

And yeah, keep on with the blog for awhile. You might find it's not for you but I think once you get it set up the way you like it and people start commenting you'll find it very pleasant. The best part is that you can edit your entries and comments as you please. And it's fun to add photos and do the custom header thing. Makes it all much more personal and creative. Don't hesitate to ask about anything - I'm happy to help out.

az

Just remember, Az, if you are walking you are expending calories and it does not matter how fast or slow you go, it is the distance covered. If you run a mile you expend almost the exact same calories as if you walked the same mile. The difference is in calories per hour: if you run for an hour you expend a lot more calories than if you walk for an hour. This is because you have covered more distance.

How important is spam protection on my blog? Do I need to put all those words into my word filter or should I do something with all those things they were talking about in faq? Please bear in mind that some of us know all about the muscles and ennervation and physiology and zip about computers. I can just about get on line by myself (little joke there) and I can make Lotus' word processor work. So when you start to talk to me pretend that I'm a kindergartner as far as what I understand about computers. My favorite sentence is " J..., this computer is locked up again."

Also bear in mind that I have a tentative relationship, at best, with electronic devices. I do not wear a watch of any kind because (apparently) I am so energized that I can stop them within days. We also do not have a cordless phone because something about me interferes with their little brains and they cannot function if they are in my hand. Why the cell phone works is beyond me, but it is possible that it is because it has a more powerful radio transmitter than a cordless phone that is trying to talk to a base unit. I don't know. The computer regularly refuses to allow me to go on line, and then when J. comes and does the exact same clicking and pointing sequence, it happily connects him. Go figure. The inherent cussedness of inanimate objects.

Nah, already posted on your blog not to worry about setting any specific spam blocks. So don't bother with putting any words or whatever - in fact, I think Wordpress warns against doing this as you may end up with many friendly posts being blocked.

Wordpress uses a spam blocking service called Askimet and it does a fine job. I've only had one spammish comment get through in three months and I just deleted it.

But you should check your Askimet thingy as well as 'awaiting moderation' thingy regularly, because sometimes things get blocked that aren't spam. You can easily do this by going to Dashboard/Manage and there you can see both the Askimet and moderation tabs.

Weird about the watch thing. Noggin has the same problem. He can't wear a watch because they always end up stopping. But he's okay with a cell phone. Good thing you mentioned the cordless phone thing because we were thinking of getting one.

If you send me a photo (or photos) by email of what you'd like to see on your customized header I can do a test page for you - I have a second blog called 'the drawing board' where I like to play with this stuff. Then, if you see something you like I can explain how you can do it yourself. That way you can play around with various options without disrupting your present blog page.

This one presently has a sample of some heather that I'd done for Teuchter.

http://azahar2.wordpress.com/

az

Thanks, that is cool stuff. I have to go kill harlequin bugs now, and then get on with the day. There is outstanding barbecue sauce (about a gallon) which J made a few days ago which I need to process in pint jars. Also, the tomatoes are coming on and I need to put up some diced tomatoes, which involves picking, peeling, seeding, chopping, heating, canning. And I have three massages to do today. Only three, which is a luxury, really, I usually have 5. Plus I have to hang up some laundry, fold some laundry, wash some sheets and hang them up

When do I have time to overeat?????

I will be playing around with my blog later. Thanks for the tips. I think this will be fun. I did go read the reasons comments, and I guess the whole thing about being able to talk to people without imposing on them is cool. I mean, they can comment on their own time if they feel like it.

Oh, re: the confusing M comment from before. Turned out it was an old friend from hootoo that I hadn't heard from in ages - but she used her real name in the post so of course I didn't know it was her until I checked out her email address and IP number. I'm actually very pleasantly surprised that she posted on my blog as she hasn't posted on h2g2 since last November. Nice, eh?

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Ha! Doubt you actually overeat. More like you maybe 'under-do' which is the whole idea of doing more/eating less thang.

Well so far - check it out - over the past two weeks both of us have started doing more! This cannot be a bad thing at all. Yeah sure, okay, we still haven't lost any excess tonnage, but I'm doing the one-step-at-a-time thing.

It just makes more sense - at least for me right now - to start with doing extra stuff, rather than 'taking away' food comforts. I'm reckoning that once I start feeling a bit fitter and my belly no longer sits in my lap (it's actually sitting up quite a bit higher these days! all those crunches!) I'll feel naturally encouraged to cut down a bit more - especially with the - and do even more physical stuff that makes me feel good.

See my 'personal crutches' blog post - I don't think it does any good at all to suddenly whip away someone's crutch before they feel at least somehow able to walk a bit on their own.

I'm still totally envious that you have a man who cooks and bakes. Mind you, Nog is great about always cleaning up after my various culinary exploits. Love that guy totally to death.

az

Dang, not even one crunch this morning. Got sidetracked with this and that. Really looking forward to Saturday when there isn't a 9am class so that after my morning coffee I can spend an hour or so doing the exercise routine.

Happily it seems to be cooling down a bit - only up to about 35º today.

The food thing is causing some need to get a bit creative - making up extra calorific 'side dishes' for Nog to have whilst I eat grilled chicken and salad. That one needs to put on five kilos at least! He's also one of those very annoying people who forgets to eat ... I swear, the only times I've ever forgotten to eat was when I was going through some serious emotional weirdness, when I was much younger. Sadly these days, moments of 'emotional weirdness' tend to make me reach for comfort food.

Ah well, nobody said it was going to be easy, nor that life is fair.



az

I never forget to eat. There is ALWAYS time to grab cheese and crackers. . .

Jim is just about right on with his weight. Lately he has been working 3 days a week out at afriend's place running a small saw mill operation. Heaving logs around in the sun, running back and forth, cutting the cull logs into firewood lengths and then splitting them, etc etc. His shoulders and arms are really beautiful right now. I decided that if I really wanted to lose weight I should follow him around all day and do what he does. but then I probably wouldn't be able to move for three days.

I am feeling very encouraged today. I feel good, my belly seems to be tightening up, my dog adores me becuase we have been walking together, I have really lost 2 pounds, not just water.

And I have been making a new friend.

Plus it rained this morning. Thank heavens, we needed it bad.

A two hour stoll this morning, doing a bit of this and that.

But now I have no excuses for not getting the early morning crunches and bike riding in as I no longer have the 9am class.

A two-pound 'real weight loss' is great. Heck, I can lose two pounds overnight and then put it on again within 48 hours or less. But if you've been keeping it off for a week or two that means it's *real* weight loss - good for you!

Imagine a two pound bag of potatoes! I am very aware that the weight I'd like to lose is about three of my cat Sunny - he's a big dude that one, weighing in at close to 7 kilos. So at the moment I am carrying around three extra Sunny's. What a concept!

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Um...would that be me? Or am I being presumptuous?

az

That would be you.

I love the internet. The whole concept that I can meet people on the totally other side of an ocean and talk to them and get to know them is so amazing to me.

There is a red bellied wood pecker on my bird feeder right now.

We had a beautiful rain today, after an inch and a half yesterday. We needed it and everything looks so fresh and happy. Of course, the humidity is about 90% right now. It promises to be a day where you are steamed rather than baked. Good tomato ripening weather, though. I put up 12 pints of diced tomatoes yesterday. More on the way.

Walked 2 miles yesterday, but did not crunch. I think my abs needed the break.

Break, schmake - you were just being lazy.

Man, I'd love a huge dramatic rainstorm right about now.

I don't think I've ever seen a woodpecker before.

Off for another walk shortly ...

Oh, um, thanks. And that would be you, too.

az

Dang it, can't I get away with anything? Of course I was being lazy. Someone, I believe that it was Robert A. Heinlein, once wrote that all great advances in human technology were motivated by laziness. Some lazy guy lying around thinking "There must be an easier way to do this"

Az, be careful what you wish for. We had a huge dramatic thunderstorm up in St. Louis a week ago and there are still people who do not have power back on. I like to see the lightning and watch the thunder, but my favorite kind of rain is the rain that comes gently at first, then builds up to a good drenching after the ground has softened up enough to absorb the water that is falling on it. Sort of looks like we may be building up to something dramatic this afternoon, with the heat and the high humidity and a cold front moving through we could have some real dramatics, even tornados. Which we prepare for, but never wish for.

Right. Saturday. No classes. No more excuses.

Well, I might (and sincerely hope I will) end up with some morning classes in August, but they won't start until after 10 o'clock. So plenty of time to get the exercise routine in.

Bit of a late start this morning - it's 11 now. I was awake half the night so once Nog woke up at cat feeding time he gave me a nice backrub and I was able to get a couple more hours of sleep.

And so, had coffee (in bed) and have just had some brekky. Time to get on The Bike ...

az

Good morning. I haven't really been ignoring you. We have been insanely busy around here. The tomatoes have been coming in and so far I ahve canned 30 pints. Also, we had an emergency in the vineyard, the little birds had decided that they needed to eat our grapes, so we had to deploy netting over the vines. This is not exactly a cake walk, since our grapes are extremely happy and the rows are about 25 meters long. But we did get it done and now the birds are no longer availing themselves of the resource. So maybe we will get to make some wine after all.

I have also been getting my walks in, mostly. Except Saturday, but I canoed 4 miles and helped clear sweepers off the river. Sunday I swam a half mile in the river, 1/4 mile up to a stump that is my favorite piece of driftwood right now, and back. If I had a Sikorsky freight helicopter at my disposal (ha ha) that stump would be the centerpiece for a wonderful garden right here on my place.

I have also been busy figuring out computer and internet and have posted some pictures that I am particularly proud of from last summer and a few from this weekend.
http://healingmagichands.myphotoalbum.com/view_album.php?set_albumName=album01

Now if I could just figure out how to reduce file size and get some up on my blog.

Hope you are having a great day!!

We are getting ready for a road trip that will begin this weekend. I don't know how well I will be able to access the internet, if at all, so beginning next Saturday I will probably be off line for 10 days. So don't think I have disappeared for good.

What we are doing is we are going to South Carolina to see our son's graduation from Basic Training in the army. This is the culmination of several years waffling on his part. We adopted him when he was 14 and a half. He had been removed permanently from his mother because she was married to a man who tortured him and his little brother. She decided she would rather stay married to this man than have her sons live with her. J. suffers from attachment disorder due to this abuse and abandonment. He is getting a lot better, but has far to go still.

After he finished h.s. he immediately got married, which lasted 14 months (probably fell apart because of the attachment disorder). While he was married he became a factory worker, which he hated. After his divorce, he was seriously depressed and lost his job. Then he got involved in various employments, he detailed cars, did sheet rock installation, drove a warning truck for a house moving operation, etc etc. Got introduced to a local methamphetamine dealer who started using him to distribute his product, and he started using the product too. Within 10 days of the beginning of that job realized he was in over his head in something he didn't like and came to us for assistance. (read bail out) We moved his butt to a relative's place in a nearby state and after he cleaned up and got his head straight he joined the Army. I am very proud of him, and also very despairing at the same time because the world situation makes his choice of profession somewhat less than satisfactory from the loving mother point of view, but it is what he has ALWAYS wanted and his karma is that of a warrior. So I try to stay positive and supportive.

So anyway, that is what we will be doing and I also get to visit one of my best girlfriends who lives in Asheville NC on the way there, and we will go to the Atlantic to get a salt water fix which we both desperately need. You can move the Pacific Coast denizen to the Midwest, but you can't take away the need for salt water on the toes.

Got your email.

Sounds like it's going to be quite a weekend for you and yours. I can understand your mixed emotions, but it seems pride and love come out ahead so that's good.

Very nice pics! I use picasa to re-size my photos - it's a free download from google. http://picasa.google.com/download/index.html

Have a great weekend!

az

Go read my blog if you'd like to see how my morning was. . . The rest of the day was busy busy but we got pretty much everything done.